If you are a parent with young children, it can be quite difficult to find the time to do running. But you need not give up your love for running altogether, when you have kids.
Here are some tips on how to balance running together with family life.
How do you balance running time with parenthood?
Photo: www.smh.com.au
1. Run before you wake the kids
If you need to squeeze a run into a busy day, you could simply set the alarm and get up before the kids are awake. In this way, you’ll feel happy that you have already done your run even before the kids are up and you will not need to keep on thinking about it for the rest of the day. But only do this if your spouse is agreeable to keeping an eye on the children in the wee hours when you are out.
2. Get a babysitter
Scheduling your runs at specific times and getting a babysitter or child minder to take care of the kids when you are out running is also a good way to balance out your running and family life. For example, your babysitter could be people such as your neighbours or close friends, who have agreed to help you out.
3. Get some running buddies
Having a running buddy, who is also a parent with young children, is a win-win situation. You could take care of your buddy’s children when they are out running and they could do likewise for you. Not only do you have someone to look after the kids for you, but also, your kids may even end up looking forward to making new friends with your running buddy’s children and vice versa.
4. Bring your kids down to the running track
By heading down to the nearby running track together with your children, you will easily be able to run loops of the track and keep an eye on your children and their games, at the same time. This is an easy way to get in your interval or speed workouts, and at the same time, your children can entertain themselves and you will not be too far away, either.
5. Get a treadmill
If all else fails, then perhaps you could consider investing in a treadmill. Even though many runners feel that a treadmill is quite boring, it is better than nothing. You will be running in the comfort of your own home and at the same time, your kids will not be too far away from you.
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